tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287Thu, 24 Oct 2024 12:28:29 +0000Organic backyard (and front yard) farming on a small one family house lot about 8 miles north of downtown Los Angeles in Glendale, CAhttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Robyn)Blogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-5268942555998588308Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:34:00 +00002011-04-12T21:54:45.365-07:00 the finished product Finally, after a long pause, I'm back growing vegetables. Over the last couple of weeks I was able to get the help of some very skilled friends and built a raised bed vegetable garden in the style I had been planning, which is 24 inches tall, as I had seen at Persson's Nursery in Pasadena. While the work is completed, the soil is in and the seeds just started germinating http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2011/04/finished-product-finally-after-long.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-7570585086689501204Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:28:00 +00002011-04-12T21:59:39.776-07:00 raised bed made of douglas fir, before staining Dump truck delivers five cubic yards of soil in the driveway emptying my pickup of one cubic yard of soil the finished product Finally, after a long pause, I'm back growing vegetables. Over the last couple of weeks I was able to get the help of some very skilled friends and built a raised bed vegetable garden in the style I had been http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2011/04/back-in-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-3701759672835742022Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:24:00 +00002010-11-16T15:32:29.393-08:00 Mystery Vine Growing from Compost Pile  OnionCilantro AmaranthPotato  Red Onion   A Laotian-American woman who has a farm near Fresno told me the best way to grow ginger is to just throw some into a compost pile, keep it damp and let nature work it's magic.  I tried but so far nothing to show for that experiment. BUT, when I got back o Sunday from http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/11/on-of-many-reasons-i-love-compost.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-1033493250184891324Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:19:00 +00002010-09-01T17:26:27.413-07:00People are asking me more and more often how is the backyard coming along.  Well nothing has really happened yet.  A couple of weeks ago in Sunset Magazine I saw a design for a backyard vegetable garden / entertainment area which looked pretty darn fantastic.  I like almost everything about it.  The only modification I would make is a lot more raised beds for veggies.  I http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/09/backyard-design.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-7206794070583071199Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:52:00 +00002010-08-29T00:00:28.407-07:00Not much happening in the backyard as I wait for Matt to come up with his drawings.  Planting efforts are still concentrated only along the driveway and in front of the house on the parkway.  Things are going well in both places.  What blows me away the most is that there are a couple of nice sized cantaloupes growing out front. It's the first time I've grown cantaloupes. &nbsphttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/08/roadside-cantaloupes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-8353864739396322077Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:41:00 +00002010-08-08T22:45:52.180-07:00The figs are huge, ripe and copious.  Today I picked about 20 which were about as close to perfect as figs get and brought them as a gift to a friend in Lincoln Heights who was butchering some of his roosters.  He gave me rooster meat in return.   Searching the internet now for recipes. Coq au vin is the most popular but there are some other stew recipes.  I’ll http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/08/figs-are-banging.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-5462151858841303492Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:37:00 +00002010-07-23T22:37:28.970-07:00After a longish hiatus from this blog I'm back, with nothing special to report from the backyard, which looks exactly the same as it did in my last post three weeks ago.  Matt wants to let the mulch sit 4-6 weeks before he rototills and grades the whole backyard.  In the meanwhile, despite four inches of this heavy mulch and total lack of water the bermuda grass and crab grass is cominghttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/roadside-dinner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-1602344776916761704Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:39:00 +00002010-07-01T07:46:37.313-07:00Visually not terribly interesting, but to update the progress in the backyard demolition, yesterday Matt and his guys finished laying down more than 30 square yards of Mulch in the backyard.  That's more than one heaping truckload.      This is the view from the back corner of the backyard looking at the garage.    This is the view in the opposite direction, http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/30-square-yards-of-mulch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-7659990166991527229Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:29:00 +00002010-06-28T13:39:29.245-07:00These honey bees have been living in the wall in the back corner of the backyard for at least a couple of years now. It's great to have them in the yard as they do lots of the pollination work, but there's no way to access their honey.  Bobby noticed it yesterday morning and decided to build a hive for them so we could collect honey.  He's kept and raised all sorts of animals, http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/bee-keeping-101.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-3013092876862077524Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:59:00 +00002010-06-27T07:13:41.800-07:00Lots of sod-cutting action yesterday and hauling and removal today and this is what I found when I got home from work. Nice! A couple more "after" photos.  Orange, lemon, fig, apple, avocado, peach and crape myrtle trees all saved.  The rest all chopped and hauled... Besides that, the tomatoes are coming in brilliantly in the bucket along the driveway. \ And the dogs seem to like http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/24-hours-later.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-7117247327525284387Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:49:00 +00002010-06-24T15:50:29.814-07:00 The day has finally arrived!  Matt Dell and his team from Atomic Oak are starting the demo on the backyard today.  I snapped a photo before they started this morning:Looks like a deserted lot right?  I let it go, bad.  Matt said the demolition should take four days.  I will post a photo a day for those interested in watching the transformation. Had a salad made http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/backyard-demolition-finally-begins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-174504108310709772Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:26:00 +00002010-06-05T15:08:52.874-07:00I wish I knew it.  Every time I plant cilantro it bolts.   Bolting means that a plant sends up a tall flower stalk in a very short period of time. This means that the plant has gone to seed and will decline in terms of flavor. This bok choi seedling bolted when still in it's little pot! Most plants bolt due to hot weather. When the ground temperature goes above a certain http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/secret-to-growing-cilantro-in-sizzling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-2364322708671288067Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:48:00 +00002010-06-04T14:55:35.225-07:00 Yesterday I harvested the remaining bok choi and cleaned it, cooked it and ate it.  Delicious.  The recipe, classic stir fry bok choi with ginger, garlic and oyster sauce, comes from "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen" by Grace Young.  It's a great mostly Cantonese style cookbook, easy to use and authentic. Anyway, here's a little photo essay-style document of what happenedhttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/life-and-death-of-my-bok-choi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-8950729347933845042Mon, 31 May 2010 21:57:00 +00002010-05-31T15:50:51.492-07:00Here is the first flower of all the cucumber seedlings.  Its on the seedling planted directly in the ground on the north side of the driveway in the cardboard mulch area.  So cardboard mulch isn't all bad. (more on that below). I'm really liking this driveway garden set up. It started as a temporary solution while the backyard was under construction and not plantable.&http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/pluses-and-minuses-of-cardboard-mulch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-5236629064335235485Sat, 29 May 2010 00:09:00 +00002010-05-28T17:16:44.718-07:00I don't think that many people are familiar with amaranth so a brief explanation, courtesy of ehow and some other online sources...   Amaranth is an ancient plant which produces edible leaves and grain.  It is native to the Americas and was an essential crop of the Aztecs.  The Aztecs and others use them for the grain but in Asia, and in the West among "whole food" fans,http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/amaranth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-1194173657259301043Wed, 26 May 2010 07:08:00 +00002010-05-26T09:12:29.499-07:00Back in LA after being out of town for eight days and happy to say the plants are in reasonably good shape.  I was able to pick and eat the first of the vegetable crops today - a single radish.  Illustrated here from as many angles as possible :-))  It was pretty peppery and had a good size and a good taste but was a little light (dry) for it's size, probably due to the fact that Ihttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/first-radish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-3387505224083872084Mon, 17 May 2010 19:45:00 +00002010-05-17T12:47:39.697-07:00For a long time now I've wanted to document and catalog all the pests I find in the garden so I can discover the best organic way to control them. I have a decent illustrated book called “Good Bug, Bad Bug” but the number of insects it has is very limited and besides I don’t have it with me right now. For the time being I just wanted to post some photos of bugs I encountered yesterday. The big http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/pest-and-bugs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-3122882299351254402Sat, 15 May 2010 23:36:00 +00002010-05-15T17:12:31.598-07:00Everything is growing well right now. I cut back on the water and things are looking much better. At left is the handsome pak choi. It’s the first time I’ve grown it and it seems like a super easy one to do.  If you are starting a garden for the first time consider planting some pak choi and be pleasantly surprised by how well it grows. The biggest problem I am seeing with pak choi (which http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/handsome-pak-choi-and-three-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-4461270666570969038Wed, 12 May 2010 07:29:00 +00002010-05-12T00:51:21.799-07:00Tomato plants can fall victim to a large variety of diseases.  One of the most common is Early Blight.  The leaves turn yellow and become mottled with brown or black, target-like spots. It is caused by a fungus and it is aggravated by water on the leaves and/or damp soil (poor draining).  It attacks the lowest leaves first and can spread and kill the plant if ignored. I'm using http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/tomato-plant-disease.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-1432548507124146642Tue, 11 May 2010 19:13:00 +00002010-05-11T12:13:25.988-07:00Yewwwww!  It's that time of the year again: black widow spiders everywhere... http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/say-hello-to-my-little-friend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-6611196144529862360Mon, 10 May 2010 22:25:00 +00002010-05-10T15:33:22.986-07:00This is a three photo combo of the seedling, youth (?) and adult stage of one type of palm tree that is commonly seen around LA.  I really like the fan-like spread of the leaves on the young one in the middle photo. It's surprising how easily they seed all over the place - you could almost say they are invasive.  I'm pretty sure the one in the middle photo, which is http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/odds-and-ends.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-5743049686079444753Mon, 10 May 2010 05:49:00 +00002010-05-09T23:04:39.792-07:00I've run out of cardboard to use as a mulch/weed barrier so I looked around the driveway and garage and found some other materials to use.  One is the dried, straw-like tops of the sugar cane I cut down about a month ago.  I stripped the dried leaves off the cane and then crunched them up and laid it around the strawberries and the chives as you see in the photo.  If I had that http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/recycling-sugar-cane-into-mulch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-8445802435582111050Fri, 07 May 2010 00:42:00 +00002010-05-06T17:42:57.263-07:00http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?hphttp://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-york-times-article-today-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-7326974877928145313Thu, 06 May 2010 17:41:00 +00002010-05-06T18:10:25.955-07:00A colleague was telling me the other day about the uncontrollable weeds in his backyard which are ruining his enjoyment of his large outdoor space. He said he has been resorting to Round-Up, a chemical weed killer, and that he and his wife were so frustrated by the "Weeds Gone Wild" problem that they were planning to pave the entire backyard. Sacrilege! He was very surprised when I told him it http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/controlling-weeds-with-cardboard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13179287.post-6305909124381166220Tue, 04 May 2010 00:58:00 +00002010-05-03T18:20:17.992-07:00Kidney, heart, lung, you know, the regular. (Kidney beans, artichoke hearts…um can’t thing of anything for lungs… mung beans is the best I have ;-) I've probably been watching too much Nurse Jackie and obsessing on hospital stuff. To the garden at hand though I figured out why these things were growing so slowly in the little pots.  I planted them over A MONTH AGO, which means they should http://robynsorganicgarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/transplants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Robyn)2